the beginner's guide to streaming video games


the beginner's guide to streaming video games

being a “gamer” used to mean actually playing video games, but now watching other people play is almost as important. Last year, more than 740m of us watched gaming streams on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms, with superstar streamers such as Ninja, Tfue and Pokimane attracting many millions of adoring fans. But it’s not just about the big names making big bucks. Every month, almost four million people use Twitch to broadcast themselves playing video games and most of them don’t expect to become millionaires as a result. If you or your children are thinking of joining them, here’s a quick guide to getting started.To get more news about 39bet-xì dách-phỏm miền bắc-tiến lên miền bắc-xóc đĩa-game bắn cá, you can visit official website.

To help out, I spoke to several highly experienced streamers: Clare Siobhan is a YouTuber with 1.75m subscribers who also streams on Twitch; Nina Freeman is a game developer and Twitch streamer; ex-professional Call of Duty player Ben Perkin presents Xbox On on YouTube and streams as BennyCentral; Gav Murphy is a video editor and presenter with RKG; Mollie plays The Sims on YouTube and Twitch as The EnglishSimmer; and Mary Kish is a streamer and head of community marketing at Twitch.

What is streaming?
Streaming a game means broadcasting yourself via the internet while you play, so that other people can watch you on their computer, phone or games console. The most popular services for game streaming are Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. Streaming is different from making and uploading YouTube videos because the content goes out live and is unedited.
Why stream?

It’s fun! You get to share your love of games, meet other people who like the same things as you and show off a bit, too. “I grew up as a theatre kid, so I’ve always been attracted to the performative aspect of streaming,” says Freeman. “I have a lot of fun playing games in weird and unexpected ways and making people laugh.” Streaming is also a complex technical endeavour that teaches you about broadcasting software, lighting and making lots of different pieces of hardware work together.

Can I stream from just a console?
Yes, if you have an Xbox One or PS4 and a broadband internet connection you can stream games without any other specialist equipment. There are quick guides here and here. The outcome is quite basic in terms of broadcast quality, so you’ll probably want to move on fairly quickly.

What do I need if I’m streaming via a PC?
If you want to stream PC or Nintendo Switch games, or make better quality streams from your PS4 or Xbox, you’ll need a desktop computer or laptop. Twitch recommends at least an Intel Core i5 processor or the AMD equivalent, and 8GB of RAM. If you’re connecting your games console you’ll need a video capture card by a company such as Elgato or AVerMedia. Most of the streamers I spoke to use the Elgato HD60-S or Elgato 4K60 Pro. You then plug in your console and the card sends the video footage to your computer ready for you to broadcast.

A dedicated microphone is also important when streaming via PC to make sure your commentary is crystal clear. “I’ve got a Shure SM7B microphone going into a GoXLR mix amp for my audio,” says Perkin. “Although, I’m looking forward to trying out the new Elgato Wave microphone.” Siobhan already uses an Elgato Wave 3, while Freeman has a Blue Yeti on a microphone arm complete with a shock mount, which isolates the sound from vibrations, and a pop filter, which removes the harsh noise that accompanies words beginning with “t” and “p”.